Cowboys' DeMarcus Lawrence says he burned through his entire rookie salary by his 3rd season

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Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence said he wasted money at a disastrous pace early in his NFL career. 

Lawrence opened up about his past financial struggles during an appearance on the "Level Up Lifestyle" podcast this week, vividly remembering the moment he realized he was broke. 

"The end of my third year, I go completely broke. I get that phone call from my accountant, and he’s like ‘Hey man, you don’t have no more money in your account.’ I’m like ‘What do you mean no more, you mean like zero dollars? What are you saying?’ And he’s like ‘I mean like negative $100,’" Lawrence said. 

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DeMarcus Lawrence and Sasha Lawrence. (Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)

The Cowboys drafted Lawrence in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Boise State. His rookie contract was for a total of $5.5 million and included a $2.3 million signing bonus and base salaries of $420,000, $670,000 and $703,000 across those first three seasons.

Lawrence was also caught using amphetamines in his third season in 2016. He was suspended for four games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. 

After the end of his third year, Lawrence said his father called him after that asking for some help with some assistance, but the NFL star was unable to offer his help after running out of money. 

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is seen on the field looking on during pregame warmups prior to a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on Oct. 8, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

"My dad calls me, he's like, ‘Son, I need you to help me out, I need something,’ and I'm like, ‘Dad, man,’ I ain't even let him finish, I'm like ‘Dad, I’m completely broke.' He's like ‘what do you mean? You're in the NFL, what are you talking about?' and I'm like 'Dad, man, my accountant just told me I have zero dollars.’ He was like, ‘Huh? What’s going on? … Are you stupid?’" 

Lawrence said the moment he heard his father say that to him, he realized he needed to make a change. 

He went into the 2017 offseason with one year left on his contract and a chance at making back all the money he lost since coming into the NFL.

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DeMarcus Lawrence of the Dallas Cowboys walks off the field during a preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Aug. 11, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Ric Tapia/Getty Images)

Lawrence came through for himself and his family that year. He made $1.17 million his fourth year, a breakout campaign where he notched 14.5 sacks, made the Pro Bowl and ended up fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

After that, the Cowboys placed the franchise tag on him for $17 million in 2018. Then in 2019, the team signed Lawrence to a five-year, $105 million contract with $65 million guaranteed. He then agreed to a restructured three-year, $40 million deal in March 2022 and is set to make $20.4 million this season.

Lawrence's current net worth is $20 million, per Forbes, and he has tallied a total of $117,349,519 in total career earnings.

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